BJP Backs Jamia VC After ‘All Indians Share Mahadev DNA’ Remark Sparks Row

Jamia Millia Islamia VC says all Indians share Mahadev DNA at RSS linked event, BJP backs remarks while SFI calls them unscientific and alleges crackdown on protesting students.

Student bodies condemn Jamia Vice Chancellor’s ‘Mahadev DNA’ remark at RSS-linked event. (Image: ANI)

Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor’s remarks that “all Indians share Mahadev’s DNA” has triggered sharp reactions while the BJP has backed him.

Speaking during a ‘Yuva Kumbh’ programme linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the university campus, Mazhar Asif linked Indian identity with Lord Mahadev and said that despite diversity in religion, culture, and language, “the DNA of Mahadev resides within us”.

The video of his remarks soon went viral. While the BJP has backed him, there have been several criticisms as well.

Student opposition, allegations of crackdown

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) unit at Jamia has slammed the Vice Chancellor’s remarks as “unscientific” and “regressive”.

“While students were peacefully protesting, the administration ordered a crackdown. Protesters were dragged, beaten, and assaulted by the proctorial team,” the SFI said.

It further added that the Vice-Chancellor’s statement “reflects a deeply unscientific and regressive mindset, undermining the constitutional duty to promote scientific temper.”

“It is alarming that while students face restrictions and harassment for democratic activities, the administration is facilitating RSS programmes on campus,” it said.

They also demanded accountability from both the Vice Chancellor and the university authorities.

BJP’s Defends VC’s Remarks

In a post on X, BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya said interpreting Asif’s statement in a literal sense and then dismissing it as “unscientific” misses its broader meaning, asserting that such expressions in the Indian context are “civilisational metaphors” rather than “laboratory” claims.

“They reflect a shared ancestry, cultural continuity, and a collective consciousness shaped over millennia,” he said.

He further said: “Geographically speaking, and I am stating this in a geographical context, they may not even hail from the same region. Their religions, too, may differ. Yet, despite all this, we remain Indians. We are Indians because the DNA of Mahadev resides within our own DNA.”

“Those rushing to label such expressions as ‘unscientific’ are applying the wrong lens. Civilisations are not built on scientific vocabulary alone; they are sustained by symbols, metaphors, and shared narratives that foster belonging,” the BJP leader said.

He further said that reducing everything to sterile literalism risks eroding precisely that sense of unity.

“Instead of manufacturing controversy, it would be wiser to understand the spirit in which the statement was made — a reminder that, despite differences, India’s roots remain deeply interconnected,” he said.

Referring to India’s historical and cultural evolution, Malviya said the country’s history has never been one of isolated identities but of deep intermingling.

He cited leaders, such as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Wahiduddin Khan, to argue that Indian Muslims are an inseparable part of the country’s composite culture, bound by the same land and ancestry as Hindus.

“Maulana Abul Kalam Azad consistently argued that Indian Muslims are an inseparable part of India’s composite culture, bound by the same land and ancestry as Hindus. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan reinforced this view, emphasising that conversion does not alter ethnicity or origins,” he claimed.

“Even Muhammad Iqbal, often referred to as Allama Iqbal, acknowledged India’s shared cultural heritage, describing Bhagwan Ram as ‘Imam-e-Hind’, a spiritual guide for the people of this land,” Malviya said.

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